Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Rebecca Hope has looked death in the face twice and lived to tell her tale.

She and the love of her life, Justyn Patko, land a summer internship at a local dinner theater, performing the musical Hyde. While they are excited about their first paid acting gig, they soon find themselves surrounded by more experienced cast mates, jealous of their success. As if the tension isn’t bad enough, they soon discover that the business might be a front for something much more sinister.

When Justyn is accused of a crime that she knows he would never commit, Rebecca must decide if she wants to follow her head or her heart. While trying to prove his innocence, she makes a shocking discovery of her own.

Everyone has something to conceal in the grand finale of the Dark Musicals Trilogy. Rebecca has to look beyond the façade to discover the true Hyde or face her final curtain call.

GUEST POST

Look Beyond the Facade - Meet The Real People Who Inspired the Characters in Hyde

by Laura DeLuca

The third book in the Dark Musicals Trilogy, Hyde, was inspired by the musical Jekyll and Hyde. In the musical, the Dr. Jekyll isn't the only one with two faces--everyone has a few secrets. As they say in their signature song, everyone hides behind their facade. Today I wanted to give my readers a chance to look beyond the facade and meet the real people who inspired some of the characters in Hyde.

Lord Justyn

If you've read the whole series, you've probably met him before, but the real Lord Justyn is definitely worth another mention. It was his unique personality and remarkable acting abilities that inspired the series more than five years ago. Don't let the leather and fishnet fool you. Lord Justyn is one of the sweetest guys I've ever met and like his namesake he's super talented. An actor, a musician, and a writer, he has it all in one swoon-worthy package.

Carmen

When I started writing Phantom, Carmen was supposed to be based on my friend Viv. That's where she got her ethnic beauty and her Cuban descent, but even in Phantom she started to develop a tough personality that wasn't anything like Viv, who I've never heard utter an obscenity. In Hyde, Carmen got even tougher, and I think I was channeling another lovely Latina, my editor Tara. Carmen has the same grit and no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is attitude.

Fernando

There are lots of new characters in Hyde. One of them is Fernando, who's based on my own stepfather. He owns the dinner theater where Rebecca and Justyn will be making their professional debut. In real life, he owns Duffy's On The Lake. If that name sounds familiar, it might be because the gang stopped there for dinner in the first chapter of Demon

Steve and Petya

You'll love to hate them in Hyde, but this real life couple are a lot nicer in reality than they are in my book. Meet Steve and Petya. They are servers at our family restaurant, but Steve is also an actor. The one true fact about them, aside from their physical descriptions, that you'll read in Hyde is that Steve really was in a few episodes of Beverly Hills 90210 when he was a teenager. He's hoping to play himself if the books are ever made into movies and he wanted a fun role, so I made him and his wife both have...colorful personalities.

Officer Weston

If you read Hyde, you're going to meet a pair of law enforcement officers. One of them is based on my fellow Pagan Writers Press author Andrew Paul Weston. He is retired now but was a cop in England for many years. Andrew helped me iron out some forensic details in Hyde.

Officer Cusella

And this is Officer Nino Cusella. He plays Andrew's rookie partner in Hyde. He was also my neighbor growing up. When we were kids, he helped me learn to ride my bike without training wheels and we used to try and catch to seagulls with homemade traps. He also introduced me to my ex-husband, but I forgive him for that. LOL Today Nino is is patrolling the streets of our hometown of Wildwood. He helped me iron out the legal details of a few scenes in Hyde as well as appearing as a character.

Darlene & Matt

Darlene AKA Tempest, is Justyn's mother in the Dark Musicals Trilogy. The real Darlene was my High Priestess before she moved out of state. I also made her friend Matt into Justyn's hippie stepfather. While Darlene's personality in the series fits the real Darlene to a tee, the fictional Darlene also shares some of the traits of my friend Tempest, a professional Gothic belly dancer. Tempest is Darlene's stage name in the Dark Musicals Trilogy.

Sherry & Bruce

Sherrie is a little camera shy, so I don't have a photo of her, but I think I painted a pretty accurate picture in Hyde. She stepped into the role of Justyn's grandmother because her feisty Irish spirit, lust for life, and unique style seemed to fit perfectly into this non-traditional family. She is actually the mother one of my old high school classmates, and she's one of the wisest and most caring woman I know. She's has taught me many things, including he fact that your bra makes an excellent storage area. But with her flame red hair and her fierce protective nature, you can believe she's a force to be reckoned with if you get on her bad side. I also gave her husband Bruce a small part as Justyn's grandfather, and while I made his physical appearance similar to Darlene and Justyn, I stayed true to the quiet, conventional nature Sherry has always described when she spoke of her husband.

Dash

Last but certainly not least, there was a very special cameo appearance in Hyde. This little guy is Dash, and he is my publisher Angie's son. Of course, I had to age him a little to fit him into the story, but I gave him his mom's red hair and a little of his father's personality.

Well, that about wraps up the real faces of Hyde. The story wouldn't be what it is with the help all of these wonderful people provided. This is their story as much as mine and I thank them all for the inspiration. To get to know them and their alter ego's better, be sure to pick up your copy of Hyde today.

The act ended with Hyde grabbing hold of a scantily dressed Lucy and pulling her into his arms. Then the lights on the stage were extinguished, and the silent crowd suddenly burst into thunderous applause—even some of the cast was clapping. Rebecca couldn’t help but notice Steve was watching the fanfare with a frown, especially when Fernando, dressed for the next scene as the butler, clapped Justyn on the back with undisguised approval and pride. Rebecca had the distinct feeling Steve was plotting something sinister and definitely Hyde-worthy.

From that point on, Justyn scarcely had a moment out of the spotlight. Rebecca didn’t even get a chance to tell him how fabulous he was. It felt as though the show had only begun when Rebecca found herself decked out in the splendid Victorian wedding gown signaling the final act was about to begin. The dress came complete with realistic bell sleeves, an excessive bustle, and a long, flowing trail embroidered with delicate lace. The elaborate wardrobes and happy wedding guests gave the audience the illusion that it might be a happy ending after all, but for Dr. Jekyll and Emma, that wasn’t meant to be. As soon as the reverend began to recite the vows, Hyde made his final deadly appearance.

At the beginning of the scene, it was sweet and romantic. Justyn started out holding her hand, looking happy, almost ecstatic to be with his true love. Then he suddenly started to sway. Tom, in his role of John, the best man, tried to steady him, but there wasn’t anything he could do to stop the transformation. Dr. Jekyll doubles over in agony and tries to run before Emma can see him change into a monster. Justyn was supposed to head toward the back of the stage where Rebecca would pursue him and eventually become Hyde’s captive. But they should have known no opening night could ever go exactly as planned, especially when it was obvious at least half the cast was out to get them.

Just as Justyn stumbled across the stage, Steve, who was blending in with the other guests on the sidelines, stuck out his foot. It was doubtful anyone else observed the sabotage, aside from Petya, who was smirking at her husband’s side. But Rebecca was at the perfect vantage point to see the intentional attack. Unfortunately, Justyn was so wrapped up in the role he didn’t notice the danger, especially since his loose hair was dangling in front of his eyes. Before Rebecca could cry out a warning, Justyn’s foot was caught in the snare. With a grunt, he tumbled off the side of the stage. Even over the background music and the gasps from the audience, Rebecca heard the loud thump as he hit the ground. She raised her hands to her mouth and couldn’t help but scream.

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years. Her current works include Destiny, Destiny Unveiled, Phantom, Morrigan, Player, and Demon.